Canal Festival to work around compound

A site meeting on Tuesday 8 April confirmed that this year's Hayes Canal Festival can go ahead on Sunday 13 July after all. The holding of the event was thrown into doubt when contractors' huts suddenly appeared on the site at High Point Village which is used for most of the land-based activities. The compound built around the huts will be the base for work on the re-cladding of all the residential blocks and it almost totally blocks the view of the canal as shown in the picture. It could be there for as long as two years.

In view of the threat to the event I wrote immediately to the Managing Director of Ballymore Asset Management Limited, the managers of the properties. Following a meeting involving him and the Canal & River Trust it has been agreed by all parties that the Festival can go ahead safely without holding up progress on the re-cladding. Some changes may be needed

The Festival is a great way of engaging with the diverse communities of Hayes and booking forms for stalls will shortly be available. If you are involved in a group that would be interested in a stall please send an email.

Volunteers are also needed to help with a range of tasks including ticket-issuing for boat rides, kayaking and paddle-boarding plus practical work such as litter-picking. To find out more about what is required send an email.

Welcome to the new boss

Hillingdon has a new Police chief in charge of Safer Neighbourhoods. Superintendent Priya Shome (pictured) took up her role several weeks ago and I had the pleasure of meeting her on Wednesday 2 April. I learnt that she is a strong believer in the importance of neighbourhood policing and that she has had a lot of experience of it in her previous postings in the London Borough of Bromley. We will be going on a walkabout through Hayes Town in the coming week. Look out for us and say hello.

On Wednesday 9 April the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced the Government's plans to strengthen neighbourhood policing and to increase the number of officers devoted to this task. It remains to be seen what this means for London and for Hayes Town but I will keep readers updated.

A film to spread understanding

A film launch on Thursday 3 April showed the pioneering work of the Hillingdon Faith Community and local charity C-Change West London in aiming to increase understanding between the different faith communities in Hillingdon. It is called "A Day in the Life of a Faith Leader" and was made by young people who attend the C-Change Youth Drama and Film-making Saturday Club.

You can watch the trailer for the film by clicking here. It is made up of videos shot during visits to five places of worship in the Borough where the film-makers interviewed faith leaders and captured images of holy books and artefacts. The videos show young people explaining to other young people what they had found out about each faith. They will now be uploaded on to the Hillingdon Interfaith Community website as an educational resource available to schools and community groups committed to promoting understanding and cohesion.

The launch took place at the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Philip Corthorne presented certificates and gifts to all those who had been involved in the making of the film. The picture shows them together with their certificates and in the back row on the left are the project organisers, Taz Virdee, Chief Executive of C-Change and the Reverend Andy Thompson.

The Saturday Club is held from 11am to 3pm at St Margaret’s Church in Uxbridge. It is free to attend and open to young people aged 10 to 16. The Club provides a creative and engaging space for participants to develop acting, presentation, and film-making skills. Now in its second year the programme has already trained up over 80 young people across Hillingdon. To find out more send an email.

Car park access restored - for now

Contrary to the report in Hayes Town News on Monday 7 April the Council has taken notice of the near 700 name petition to re-open access to the Civic Hall car park. The door to the stairs has been unlocked as shown in the picture and pedestrians can now get to and from their cars safely instead of taking their chances on the vehicle ramp. There is even talk that the lifts inside the Poundtretcher store might also be repaired but I have nothing definite on that so far. The Council's reply to the petition is here.

The company took over the premises after Wilko, the former occupants, went bankrupt and it is a mystery why it has taken so long for the stairs to be reopened. Unfortunately this welcome move does not affect the Council's decision to sell off the Civic Hall and the car park to developers. The proposal to delete the car park from the legal order that provides for it to be operated in its present role is still out to public consultation. You can read about the proposal by clicking here. The deadline for comments is Wednesday 30 April and to give your comments send an email.

Unloading bay proposed

Hayes Town News has reported previously on the dangers caused by a Poundland lorry unloading while parked within the zigzags of the Station Road zebra crossing (as pictured). It is not the only lorry that has held up the traffic and those delivering to KFC have been more frequent. Now the Council is proposing to install a loading/unloading bay in Crown Close in response to the case put forward by the Hayes Town Partnership and the Business Forum. To read more about it and see a plan of the location click here. The deadline for comments is Wednesday 30 April and to give your views send an email.

A chant for peace

On Wednesday 9 April people gathered in the Navnat Centre in Printing House Lane to join others in 107 different countries around the world. They were all followers of the Jain religion and through the wonders of the internet hundreds of thousands of people were united together in a chant for peace. I was there and it was a truly impressive experience

Jains believe in compassion and non-violence to all living beings and Navka Mahamantra Day is an annual event to promote global peace and unity under the slogan "One World, One Day, One Chant". With the present state of the world all initiatives in support of peace need endorsing and publicising.

Jainism is a very ancient religion but not very well known compared to others. To see its history and beliefs click on this link.

Visiting the Navnat Centre reminded me of the important role it played as a vaccination centre during the the Covid pandemic. There was a wonderful video on YouTube of all the staff and volunteers doing the Jerusalema Dance during a break from their labours. It was inspiring and great music too. This is the link.

New housing priorities

Hillingdon Council has recently altered its housing allocation policy. The main change is from the current four priority bands (A – D) to fourteen-bands (1 – 14). The reasons given for the change are as follows:

• Clearer priority order.
•  Simplifying additional priority categories.
• Increased priority for vulnerable groups. 
• Allowing higher priority households (typically larger bedsize need households) to bid for a greater range of social rented properties.
• Ensuring that tenants are in homes that best meet their needs

There are many more people in need of housing than the number of properties available. The policy document explains that there are 18000 council and housing association homes in the Borough but that between only 400 and 450 come up for re-letting each year. There were 3896 households on the housing register at the end of March 2024 when the review of the policy began and it is unlikely that this number has got any better since that date. You can see from this why there are such long waits.

Details of the 14 priority bands can be seen from this link and the full allocation policy is available here.

Change of use challenged

The shortage of housing in Hillingdon is leading to totally unsuitable buildings being used to house people. The former Tuition Centre in Coldharbour Lane (pictured) is a case in point and the unauthorised change of use was taken up by Councillor Janet Gardner as long ago as last November. Recent sewage leaks have created local concerns and she and fellow Councillor Peter Curling are pressing for immediate action by the Council.

What is Stalking Week?

National Stalking Awareness Week will take place between Monday 21st and Friday 25th April. Its aim is to show people that they do not have to put up with repeated behaviour by someone who makes them feel scared, distressed or threatened. This includes being followed or watched and being pursued online or by phone. The campaign for this year will focus on the health impacts of stalking and will encourage professionals to be alert to the symptoms.

If you are subject to stalking or it affects somebody you know make sure to report it to the Police for investigation by calling 101, going online or using 999 in an emergency.

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust will be holding a webinar on the health issues on Thursday 24 April between 12 30pm and 2 30pm. To access the event click here

Self-defence for all - 28 April

Hillingdon Police are organising another one of their self defence classes but this time it will be open to all aged 16+ and not limited to women only. It will take place on Monday 28 April from 5 30pm to 7 30pm in the upstairs meeting room at St Margaret's Church in Windsor Street Uxbridge. The postcode is UB8 1AB

It will be a basic self defence class (with a male non-police instructor), and local police officers available to give attendees the opportunity to raise any concerns they may have about safety in their local area.

Attendees will also be provided a goody bag containing some crime prevention giveaways - personal safety items (such as a torch, bells etc) and crime prevention advice materials. To book a place send an email.

Freedom Pass delays reported

Hillingdon Council is receiving calls from members of the public who have not yet received their new Freedom Passes. They have contacted Transport for London who say

"If you have not received your renewal pass, it is likely because you did not receive our letter or email and therefore have not completed the required actions. Your current pass will be accepted by TfL and bus operators as a flash pass until 1st May (inclusive). This extension allows you time to complete the renewal process either by logging into your online account or by contacting our helpline 0300 330 1433 for assistance."

This link tells you how to contact the Freedom Pass Team and to avoid calling before 11am if at all possible.

Who was with Hillingdon at the start?

Last week's edition of Hayes Town News reported on the event to mark the creation of the London Borough of Hillingdon 60 years ago on 1st April 1965. I mentioned that I started work with the Council in 1969 and that I might be one of the people with the longest association with the Borough due to the fact that I still doing voluntary work with them after retiring.

I wondered if anybody else went back that far and a reader has been in touch to say that he actually began work on the very first day of Hillingdon on 1st April 1965 and that he had worked for one of the previous councils since November 1961. He admits that he no longer has any direct connections but that is still a very impressive record. Can any other reader beat it or equal it?